How to win 'Wheel of Fortune' tips from Pat Sajak and Vanna White

If you’re one of the lucky 500 or so people to make it on Wheel of Fortune as a contestant, Yahoo Entertainment is here for you. While visiting the iconic game show’s set in Culver City, Calif., we chatted with Pat Sajak and Vanna White and asked them for advice on how to walk away a winner.

1. Buy vowels early and often

“Most people think, ‘Why would you buy a vowel?’” posits White. “But to me, that’s the most important way to win the round.”

“There are some real simple logistical things — buy vowels, that’s important,” agrees Sajak. “Especially for long puzzles, if people buy vowels, they’re likely to win. If they don’t, they’re likely to lose. It’s the way it goes.”

2. Pay attention to the puzzle board, not the wheel

“The other thing is, it amazes me — people will spin that wheel and do this,” Sajak says before rotating his head around and around, watching an imaginary wheel. “And then I’ll say the number, and they look up [and say,] ‘Oh there’s a puzzle up there.’ They could be using that time thinking about the puzzle. I’ll tell them where it lands; they don’t have to look at it. So they waste time doing that.”

3. Relax, buddy

“The other thing is harder to teach, and that’s somehow you gotta get in your head that you’re just alone in your living room; [pretend] you’re not in the studio,” concludes Sajak. “Because it’s a very scary situation for people to be in, and the more they can separate themselves from that … the better off they’ll be.”